Abraham Aiyash

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Abraham Aiyash
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 4th district
Assumed office
December 1, 2020
Preceded byIsaac Robinson
Personal details
Born (1994-01-30) January 30, 1994 (age 27)
Hamtramck, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationMichigan State University (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Abraham Aiyash is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 4th district.[1][2] The district covers much of Detroit's Midtown, New Center, North End, Boston Edison, Virginia Park, and all of the city of Hamtramck. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Early life and education[]

Aiyash was born and raised in Hamtramck, Michigan, the seventh of eight children. His parents immigrated to Michigan from Yemen. Aiyash was educated in the Hamtramck Public Schools and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University, where he studied pre-medicine, political science, and Muslim studies.[3][4]

Career[]

When he was 13, Aiyash worked as a community organizer for the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign.[5] In 2015 and 2016, he worked in the office of State Rep. Rose Mary Robinson.[6][4]

In 2018, Aiyash was a candidate for the Democratic primary to represent Michigan's 2nd Senate district. He finished second after Adam Hollier, who won the general election. During his campaign, Aiyash was endorsed by the Detroit Free Press.[7]

Abraham announced his candidacy for the 4th district of the Michigan House of Representatives following the death of Isaac Robinson in March 2020.[8][9][10][11] In the Democratic primary, Aiyash placed first in a field of 13 candidates. He defeated Republican nominee Howard Weathington, Working Class Party candidate Linda Rayburn, and Independent MD Rabbi Alam in the November general election. He assumed office on December 1, 2020.[12]

Electoral history[]

2020 Michigan House of Representatives election, District 4[13]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abraham Aiyash 5,352 38.3
Democratic Michele Oberholtzer 1,946 13.9
Democratic Tawanna Simpson 1,520 10.9
Democratic Tonya Myers Phillips 1,419 10.2
Democratic Delorean Holmes 1,003 7.2
Democratic Shahab Ahmed 835 6.0
Total votes 13,962 100
Republican Howard Weathington 331 100
General election
Democratic Abraham Aiyash 27,263 89.7
Republican Howard Weathington 1,736 5.7
Working Class Party Linda Rayburn 1,027 3.4
Independent MD Rabbi Alam 355 1.2
Total votes 30,377 100
2018 Michigan Senate election, District 2[14]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adam Hollier 6,938 25.2
Democratic Abraham Aiyash 5,766 21.0
Democratic Brian Banks 4,725 17.2
Democratic Regina Williams 2,598 9.5
Democratic LaMar Lemmons Jr. 2,512 9.1
Democratic John Olumba 1,747 6.4
Democratic George Cushingberry Jr. 1,121 4.1
Democratic Anam Miah 931 3.4
Democratic Lawrence Gannan 555 2.0
Democratic William Phillips 328 1.2
Democratic Tommy Campbell 265 1.0
Total votes 27,486 100
Republican Lisa Papas 3,879 54.1
Republican John Hauler 3,289 45.9
Total votes 7,168 100
General election
Democratic Adam Hollier 53,920 75.7
Republican Lisa Papas 17,288 24.3
Total votes 71,209 100
Democratic hold

References[]

  1. ^ "Status quo in Wayne County and State Reps races, newcomers to universities' boards". November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  2. ^ "US elections 2020: Muslim American candidates who made history". Middle East Eye. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "About Aiyash". Abraham Aiyash for State Representative District 4. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Abraham Aiyash sworn in as first Yemeni American State Rep". The Yemeni American (in Arabic). November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Abraham Aiyash is Running for District 4 State Representative". The Yemeni American (in Arabic). June 17, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  6. ^ "Meet Rep. Aiyash". housedems.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "All Detroit Free Press endorsements for the 2020 general election". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dies of suspected coronavirus infection". Crain's Detroit Business. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "State Rep Isaac Robinson dead at 44; mom suspects COVID-19". seattlepi.com. March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  10. ^ Zhao, Christina (March 29, 2020). "Michigan state Rep. Isaac Robinson dies from suspected coronavirus infection in Detroit". Newsweek. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  11. ^ "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dead at 44; mom suspects COVID-19". SFGate.com. March 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Abraham Aiyash". Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  13. ^ "Michigan State House of Representatives District 4". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  14. ^ "Michigan State Senate District 2". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 15, 2020.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by Michigan Representatives
4th District
2020–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""